Monthly Archives: July 2017

Garsington Opera: Silver Birch

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Garsington Opera at Wormsley, Sunday 30 July 2017

Community operas have a very different dynamic from conventional stagings and Roxanna Panufnik makes the most of these in her new work Silver Birch which was given three performances at Wormsley last weekend with a cast of 180. The use of large choral forces was much in evidence but they are split across three convincingly naturalistic groups. While the narrative line brings together the realities of the trauma of war – an excellent libretto from Jessica Duchen – it moves seamlessly between Siegried Sassoon and the war in Iraq. Jack’s story is reflected in the massed reactions of the general public, the army itself and a large body of school children.

Jessica Duchen does not flinch from the painful realities of the effects of war. Jack is genuinely traumatised by his time under fire, and though to the crowd back home he is a hero, his emotional life – fragile at the best of times – is destroyed. We are given a bleak insight into his family relationships and the destructive power of his callous father. One of the few dubious moments in the whole evening is the attempted reconciliation of father and son at the end.

Much of the evening is given over to choral scenes which are staged with exemplary clarity and discipline by Karen Gillingham. While individual characters emerge from the mass across the wide stage there is never any point at which the focus of attention is lost. The energy the younger members bring to the stage is extraordinary – whether they are the soldiers PE routines or the primary children singing Soldier, Soldier.

The opening scene reminded me of the start of Porgy and Bess. A real community of real people – and lots of them – which we suddenly realise is growing and developing before our eyes. If the narrative focusses down eventually onto Jack – a splendid characterisation from Sam Furness and very moving – it is the seeming lack of understanding from the community as a whole which impinges. This is never more true than in the school scene where his brother Leo gets into trouble, reading Jack’s copy of Siegfried Sassoon, because of the traumatic disruption Jack’s joining the army has caused. It is not just soldiers who are hurt by war but all of us.

Roxanna Panufnik writes bold passionate choruses, often easily lyrical but never simplistic or overtly popular. While easy to take in on a first hearing, there is more than enough here to make me wish there were a way of adapting the whole for different forces. This was a magnificent undertaking for all concerned – not least Douglas Boyd and his extended orchestra – and let us hope something more long lasting will come out of it.

 

Jeremy Meager at Church in the Wood

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Church in the Wood, Friday 28 July 2017

Church in the Wood have had their new Viscount organ in use for some time now but Saturday was the first time that Jeremy Meager, the Managing Director of Viscount Organs, had come down to perform and put the instrument through its paces.

He chose an eclectic range of works, which aimed to please the audience with familiar pieces and include a variety of styles to demonstrate the flexibility of the registration. He opened with a rapidly paced rendition of Nimrod from Elgar’s Enigma Variations and moved on to Bach’s Prelude & Fugue in E flat BWV 572. This brought us some fine top flutes and a splendidly articulated fugue.

The gentle tones of Malcolm Archer’s Elegy gave way to a bombastic account of Handel’s Overture to the Occasional Oratorio before returning to the lyricism of Bach’s Bist du bei mir BWV508. The first half ended with Vierne’s familiar Carillon de Westminster.

The second opened with a Trumpet Tune – though not one of the more familiar wedding choices. This one was by Tambling and showed us the brashness of the organ’s trumpet stop. Franck’s reflective Prelude, Fugue and Variations followed with the dynamic changes during the fugue impressing. S S Wesley’s Choral Song is equally familiar though not the accompanying fugue which, on this occasion sang with aplomb.

R Goss-Custard’s Chelsea Fayre is a real lollipop and moved us gently into Parry’s Chorale Prelude on Eventide – better known to most as Abide with me. This brought us to the inevitable concluding item – the Toccata from Widor’s 5th Symphony. Jeremy Meager raced through this to the delight of the audience, even if some of the notes seemed to get lost along the way.

As an encore he played Herbert Sumsion’s Ceremonial March – about as English and CoE as one could wish. He has promised to return and will obviously be very welcome.

360-DEGREE CAPTURE OPENS UP PEOPLE’S OPERA TO THE WORLD

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With the premiere of Roxanna Panufnik’s People’s Opera Silver Birch taking place this weekend, Garsington Opera is pleased to announce a ground-breaking digital partnership with BBC Arts Digital and Pinewood Studios which will see sections of the performance captured by 360-degree cameras and ambisonic microphones in a project entitled Person 181.

With 180 community participants performing in Silver Birch, alongside professional singers and orchestra, this partnership project opens up the experience of participating in a live performance to the online viewer: the 181st participant.

For the first time ever, full access will be granted to backstage areas, warm up sessions with the cast and, ultimately, the live performance.

“Garsington Opera is excited to be working in partnership with BBC Arts Digital and Pinewood Studios on this amazing project. Person 181 will extend the reach of Roxanna Panufnik’s People’s Opera to the world, using cutting-edge technology and innovative digital story-telling. We hope that the project will reach those who are unable to take part in creative projects, giving them a first-person experience of the amazing journey each of the community participants has been on to perform in Silver Birch” commented Johnny Langridge, Director of Development & Communications.

Silver Birch world premiere performances take place at Garsington Opera on 28, 29 & 30 July 2017. Person 181 will be available online via BBC Arts Digital free of charge from the autumn this year.

Garsington Opera’s thrilling new commission, Silver Birch, will feature over 180 participants from the local community aged 8-80, including students from primary and secondary schools, members of the local military community, student Foley artists under the guidance of Pinewood Studios and members of Wycombe Women’s Aid. Appearing alongside top professional singers and orchestral players, they will perform as dancers, singers, actors and instrumentalists. Garsington Opera’s Artistic Director Douglas Boyd will conduct. This draws to a close Garsington Opera’s 2017 season which has enjoyed record attendances and was 98% sold out.

Brighton Early Music Festival 2017

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BRIGHTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL: ROOTS – 27TH OCTOBER – 12TH NOVEMBER 2017

“If it’s Early Music you’re looking for, then get yourself down to Brighton”   Classic FM
 
Brighton Early Music Festival launched its programme for 2017 on Tuesday 25th July at Angel House – a beautiful Regency venue on Brighton’s seafront.  2017 explores the origins of some of classical music’s best-loved forms, and is the Festival’s biggest ever offering with over 30 events taking place this autumn.  Festival Co-Artistic Director Deborah Roberts says “this year’s programme is a fascinating journey through the early development of the musical forms we know and love today.  The oratorio, sonata, string quartet and opera didn’t spring into being fully formed, but grew organically out of earlier models, and of course there’s also the chance to explore the rich tapestry of folk music which humans have enjoyed for centuries.”
 
The 2017 festival has the title ROOTS with flagship events including two new opera productions – Monteverdi’s Orfeo and Rameau’s Pygmalion which ‘bookend’ the early period of operatic development.  Orfeo will be staged at The Old Market in Hove, in a new production by Thomas Guthrie featuring a cast of specially auditioned young singers headed by tenor Rory Carver as Orfeo, while Pygmalion is a new staging by Karolina Sofulak in collaboration with baroque group Ensemble Molière.
The Festival is well known for its championing of young artists through its scheme for emerging ensembles, Early Music Live! This year, many of the groups performing at the Festival have previously taken part in the Early Music Live! scheme, including the Consone String Quartet (28th Oct); Ensemble Molière (28th & 29th Oct); The Askew Sisters (2nd Nov); Ensemble Hesperi(4th Nov); Musica Poetica (pictured, 4th Nov); Ensemble Tempus Fugit (5th Nov); Chelys Consort of Viols (10th Nov) and theLittle Baroque Company (11th Nov).  BBC Radio 3 will record the performances by the Consone Quartet and Ensemble Hesperi this year for broadcast on The Early Music Show.  This year’s Early Music Live! participants, including York Early Music International Young Artists Competition prizewinners Rumorum, will present their programmes in a special showcase on 4thNovember.
 
Folk enthusiasts can enjoy performances by Old Blind Dogs with singer Siobhan Miller (collaborating with L’Avventura London, 27th Oct), and The Askew Sisters (2nd Nov), and families are also catered for with OAE TOTS concerts for pre-schoolers (pre-festival, 7th Oct) and Tales in Music: The Pigeon & The Albatross with the Little Baroque Company (11th Nov).
 
Tickets for all festival events (£5-£28) go on sale to Friends of the Festival on Monday 21st August, and on general sale on Monday 4th September at bremf.org.uk or 01273 709709.
 

Prom 14

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Prom 14- Ralph Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 9 in E Minor & Gustav Holst’s The Planets performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Wilson at the Royal Albert Hall, on Tuesday 25 July 2017.
Photo by Mark Allan

Tuesday 25 July 2017
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
CBSO Youth Chorus
John Wilson

It’s a quirky but rather lovely idea for a Scottish orchestra to play two works by quintessentially English composers. The 5,000 people who packed the Royal Albert Hall to the gunwhales for this concert had clearly – and wisely – left politics, devolution, referenda and the rest at the door.

Vaughan Williams’s 1958 ninth and last symphony is a valedictory work in soulful E minor. It bears all the usual RVW hallmarks such as lush lyrical string passages in the second movement, the strident crunchy brass chords and, of course, reluctance to stick to the same time signature for more than a line or two.  Leader Laura Samuel made something pretty special of the The Lark Ascending-like violin solo and, in a spirited rendering, Wilson carefully emphasised the contrasts in texture and rhythm. He also made sure we sensed the finality and gravitas of the ending – this is a composer very close to the end of his life.

The symphony requires quite large forces which is another reason for its pairing well with The Planets. A few extra players arrived after the interval to complete the double brass and six-strong percussion section, but not that many. And then we were in for a real treat. Familiarity does not detract from the wonder of this spell-binding work played here with incisive warmth and exemplary textual accuracy. From the busy, mysterious, relentless 5|4 of Mars to the magic of the CBSO youth chorus tucked away on the top balcony (chorus master: Julian Wilkins) for remote, mystical Neptune, this was a riveting performance.  Wilson’s take on Uranus is exaggerated and comical – the man next to me (another critic, I think) actually laughed at the organ flourish. And I was much more aware in this performance than I usually am that Mercury is another name for quicksilver – the precise mood Wilson coaxes from the orchestra. The ending was the thing I shall long remember about this concert, though, as the top notes from the choir gradually silenced the orchestra. I’ve rarely head it done with such control or been so acutely aware of 5,000 people listening intently.

Another positive thing about this concert incidentally, in a week when we’ve heard an awful lot about gender imbalance in the media and the arts, is to see women so well represented in almost every section of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Bravo. SE

 

 

Opera Holland Park: Zaza

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This accomplished revival of Leoncavallo’s 1900 opera makes you wonder why it isn’t performed more often. It was entirely new to me – hitherto my acquaintance with Leoncavallo stopped at Pagliacci. I found it a piece full of harmonic lushness, imaginatively witty orchestration and a great deal of 3|4 and 6|8. It also has what musical theatre people call a strong “book”. The words are by Leoncavallo too and they tell a powerful story of an actress with a past who falls deeply in love with a man she later discovers to be married. There is nothing remotely fantastical or fey about any of it. The composer’s intention was to explore just how far the grittiness of real life could be presented through opera.

At the heart of this production, directed by Marie Lambert, is a stunning performance by Anne Sophie Duprels as Zaza. It’s a massive role – and a plum part  – and she is rarely off stage in two and a half hours. Looking like a young Imelda Staunton, Duprels finds warmth, passion, despair, affection, anguish, regret and much more. Her singing and acting are immaculately nuanced and sustained.

As the two men in her life Joel Montero (tenor) as Milo and Richard Burkhard (baritone) as Cascart create triangular tension. Montero sings with charismatic appeal – the man (and we’ve all met him!) who thinks he’s entitled to have his cake and eat it regardless of anyone else’s feelings. Burkhard’s Cascart, former lover now friend, counsels, advises and supports her with gravitas and a pleasingly commanding voice.

Among the support roles there’s incisive work from Ellie Edmonds as the pregnant Natalia, Zaza’s dresser and confidante. Louise Winter is both funny and mildly moving as Zaza’s mother who also has a chequered past.

Designing a set for Holland Park’s very wide space must always be a challenge but Alyson Cummins has come up trumps for this production. In the first half of this four act opera Zaza’s dressing room is centre stage while the stage right space gives us a sideways view of the comedy club show which proceeds continuously. Stage left is occupied by Natalia’s costume store where she sits and knits (for the baby?) when she’s not with Zaza and over it is a walkway meant to suggest the way in and out of the building. It’s very ingenious use of space although the later boring, projected Eiffel Tower to suggest Paris looked as if the budget had run out after Acts 1 and 2.

City of London Sinfonia, meanwhile, does an enjoyable job under Peter Robinson’s baton in Holland Park’s shallow pit which means all players are on view and double bass scrolls sit four feet over the footlights. The advantage is acoustic, though. Orchestral detail is crystal clear – Deborah Davis’s piccolo interjections for example, some delightfully evocative horn work and some pleasing solos from leader Gabrielle Painter.

CDs July 2017 (2)

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SIR CHARLES VILLIERS STANFORD – COMPLETE ORGAN WORKS VOL 5
Daniel Cook, organ of Westminster Abbey
PRIORY PRCD 1174 79’53

This fascinating series concludes with another excellent recording from Daniel Cook. There is a wide variety of music in this volume including music based on hymn tunes (including Fantasia on Intercessor and Six Occasional Preludes), processional music (March from Becket and Procession music from Drake) as well as Romantic programme music (Three Idylls and Sketches for Piano & Violin in transcription by E S Roper). The five volumes of this set are a fine record of Stanford’s organ works.

SIGFRID KARG-ELERT – COMPLETE ORGAN WORKS VOL 14
Stefan Engels, Link/Gaida organ of Pauluskirche, Ulm, Germany
PRIORY PRCD 1135  70’49

This long-running series continues with two works. The first is a suite of seven movements with colourful titles, Seven Pastels from the Lake of Constance, Op 96. This is paired with the Sinfonie, Op 143. Each volume continues to build this extensive survey of Karg-Elert’s music and can also be enjoyed as a single recital.

RAINBOW TOCCATAS
Paul Ayres, Organ of St Barnabas, Ealing, London
PRIORY PRCD 1159 

This is a very welcome release. Paul Ayres plays a selection from his own  vast output in a highly entertaining, and, at times, intriguing programme. I have been familiar with some of the composer’s work for some time. Much of his music, as here, is based on familiar music from a range of sources and styles. Included here are his Variations on Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen and nine pieces based on Beatles songs, including Toccatina on Here comes the sun, Danse Macabre on Norwegian Wood and  Toccata on All you need is love. Also included are four movements from Suite for Eric and the piece which partly gives this CD its title, Fantasy –Sonata: Over the Rainbow. A welcome sideways-step for the organ repertoire!

AN EAST RIDING TREASURE
Robert Poyser,  restored organ of Beverley Minster
PRIORY PRCD 1181 

Priory continue to release fine recordings of lesser known organs by organists who know how best to exploit the resources of each instrument , with very interesting programmes balancing the familiar and less familiar repertoire. The newly restored Beverley organ is in fine voice here under the control of Robert Poyser. Music by Bach, Guilmant and Howells is complimented by a lengthy Toccata by Domenico Zipoli and a less familiar piece by Lefebure-Wely, March in F. The mighty Sonata on the 94th Psalm by Reubke forms the centrepiece of this disk and it is rounded off by Three pieces by the 20th Century composer, Nicholas Cheveux.

THE FORGOTTEN GEM
Francesca Massey, organ of King’s Lynn Minster
PRORY PRCD 1178

The organ at King’s Lynn is a very important one. Although heavily rebuilt it contains twelve ranks of original Snetzler pipework which has been carefully preserved throughout the years. Francesca Massey gives a very enjoyable recital beginning appropriately with Whitlock’s Hymn-Prelude on King’s Lynn. Reger’s Sonata No 2 in D minor, Op 60 closes the disc and JS Bach’s lengthy Chorale Partita on Sei gegrusset, Jesu gutig is also included as well as Stanley’s Voluntary in D minor, Op 5 No 8. Shorter works by John Jordan, Litaize, Burney, Peter Racine Fricker and Nicolas de Grigny complete the varied programme. Extensive notes on the history and specification of the organ make for an absorbing read alongside the music.

THE ENGLISH ORPHEUS – CHORAL & INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC BY HENRY PURCELL
Chapel Choir of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, Orpheus Britannicus, Director – Andrew Arthur
PRIORY PRCD 1182

This is a lovely CD. A very well programmed sequence links anthems (including Rejoice in the Lord alway and O sing unto the Lord) with service music (Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis in G minor and Te Deum in D) and instrumental music – Voluntary in G for solo organ, Suite in G minor for solo harpsichord and Chacony in G minor. Delightful.

MUSIC FOR TROUBLED TIMES – THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR & SIEGE OF YORK
The Ebor Singers, Director – Paul Gameson
RESONUS RES10194 76’47

This is a very imaginative production, recorded in the Early Music Centre, York.  Based mostly around the ‘York’ Psalm settings by William Lawes the programme is designed to reflect music that may have been used in York Minster at the time of the Civil War and especially the Siege of York in 1644. There are also anthems by Byrd (O Lord, make thy servant Charles), John Hutchinson, William Child, John Wilson, George Jeffreys (How wretched are the state) and Matthew Locke (How doth the city sit solitary). As well as an athem by Thomas Tomkins there is also his Sad Pavan: for these distracted times played on the organ by David Pipe. A fascinating historical document as well as a wonderful listening experience.

CONCERTO – WORKS FOR ONE & TWO HARPSICHORDS
Guillermo Brachetta with Menno van Delft, harpsichords
RESONUS RES10189

Fine performances here of JS Bach’s ‘Italian’ Concerto and Concerto a due Cembali in C major, WF Bach’s Concerto in G major and Concerto in A major by Graun.

DANCES, ELEGIES & EPITAPHS – THE MUSIC OF PETER FRIBBINS
Philip Graffin, violin, Christopher Hart, trumpet
Scottish National Orchestra, conductor – Robertas Servenikas
RESONUS RES 10193 57’10

I have to confess that Peter Fribbins is a new name to me. This CD would be an excellent introduction to the music of this British composer, born in 1969. Beginning with the unusual Capriccio: Abide with me, a world premiere recording, two other premieres are Concerto for violin & orchestra: Dances, Elegies & Epitaphs and Soliloquies for Trumpet & Strings. Also included is In Xanadu for Wind Quintet. The works here cover a period of over 25 years and draw on a variety of inspirations from hymns, the music of Purcell and the poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

THOMAS HYDE  – THAT MAN STEPHEN WARD
Damian Thantrey, baritone
Nova Music Ensemble,  conductor -George Vass
RESONUS RES 10197

Another contemporary music CD from Resonus sees the world premiere recording of this one-man opera based on the Profumo Affair, composed ten years ago.  This disc really drew me in with its variety of styles and sources including news reports which blend with the accompaniment of the small but effective ensemble. The vocal performance is a tour de force from Damian Thantrey, providing not only the voice of Stephen Ward but also of other characters including Chrissie, in falsetto! Musical styles range from the contemporary operatic to cabaret and popular styles. This troubled episode in such highly original treatment is enthralling and sympathetic.

BRAZILIAN LANDSCAPES
Michala Petri, recorder, Marilyn Mazur, percussion, Daniel Murray, guitar
OUR RECORDINGS 6.220618 71’11

A light and enjoyable collection of music from a variety of Brazilian composers this CD seeks to demonstrate the links and interplay between the classical world (represented by Villa-Lobos) and the popular (represented by Jobim) to form a “third stream” of popular music with classical influences taken up by contemporary Brazilian composers. None of this music was known to me and I enjoyed this attempt to highlight a particular crossover movement, although at times I might have wished for a slightly more varied instrumentation to cover a whole CD.

MUSICA D’ORGANO NELLA SARDEGNA DELL’OTTOCENTO
(Organ Music in Nineteenth-Century Sardinia)
Francesca Ajossa, Organ by Piacentini-Battani, Chiesa del Santo Sepolcro, Cagliari
TACTUS TC 800007 58’06

A further survey of the historical organ repertoire of a particular region from Tactus. None of the composers are names that I recognise and it is always good to see recordings of “new” music. It would be interesting to know if this music is known to local people today.

NORDIC VOICES SING VICTORIA
Nordic Voices
CHANDOS CHSA 0402  55’40

This recording transports the listener to the haunting and deeply spiritual soundworld of the works for six voices by Tomas Luis de Victoria (1548-1611). A lovely release.

FLUX – ORIGINAL WORKS FOR SAXOPHONE QUARTET
Ferio Saxophone Quartet
CHANDOS CHAN 10987 80’40

A very different sound here – the rather magical timbres that only saxophones can produce. It may be tempting to think that the sound of the saxophone is always angular and brash. It can be but it can also be subtler, gentler and more ethereal. Both can be heard on this CD which collects a number of interesting works in an entertaining programme. I only knew Pierne for organ and orchestral works but here we have the Introduction et variations sur une ronde populaire alongside Will Gregory’s Hoe Down, The Wordsworth Poems by Guillermo Lago (The most recent work, and a world premiere recording) and works by Singelee, Bozza and Hugo Reinhart.

DIMITAR NENOV – PIANO CONCERTO/ BALLADE FOR PIANO & ORCHESTRA
Ivo Barbanov, piano, Royal Scottish National Orchestra – conductor, Emil Tabakov
HYPERION CDA68205 64’46

This is music that should be heard, not least for the fact that the composer suffered for his art and his unwillingness to associate with the communist movement, dying at the early age of 52. The Bulgarian was a prolific performer as well as a composer and here we have two pieces for piano and orchestra dating from the early twentieth century. Music to return to and a composer, like so many, who deserves to be more widely championed and remembered.

STANFORD PRELUDES
Sam Haywood, piano
HYPERION CDA68183  69’41

This is a lovely recording by pianist Sam Haywood of this wonderful music that should be better known. The pieces selected here have been arranged to create a balanced programme rather than being in numerical order. I do wonder though why we have only 38 preludes from the two sets of 24. It seems odd to be so near to a complete set to make that decision.

SUITES & FANTASIES
Joo Yeon Sir, violin, Irina Andrievsky, piano
RUBICON RCD 1003  77’40

This CD brings together five contrasting works spanning the end of the 19th to the early 21st Centuries. Sparkling performances by this duo showcase a range of emotions and styles. Programmed works are by Schnittke, Manuel de Falla, Britten and Milhaud, culminating with Igor Alexandrovich Frolov’s Concert Fantasy on themes from Porgy & Bess.

SP

 

Funding Boost for St Nicolas, Pevensey, Restoration Project

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St Nicolas & St Wilfrid’s Pevensey PCC is celebrating the news that it has received a £19,164.00 funding boost from SUEZ Communities Trust (formerly SITA Trust) for the St Nicolas Restoration Project.

The church has been in urgent need of repair for some years, and is currently being made sound and weatherproof using money from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Sussex Historic Churches Trust and others plus local fund raising activities. To complete the restoration, interior render, which has been badly damaged by water ingress, needs to be removed and made good. SUEZ Communities Trust funding will contribute to the redecoration and rendering.

Churchwarden Simon Sargent said “We are delighted that the generous donation from SUEZ Communities Trust means that we have now reached our funding target of £255,000 and will be able to complete the restoration project. This began 10 years ago and I would like to pay tribute to the enormous contribution of our former Churchwarden, the late Owen Visick.”

Marianne Ivin of SUEZ Communities Trust added “We are very pleased to be able to help the church renovate the internal parts of the building. This much needed restoration will enable to building to be used by future generations. SUEZ Communities Trust provides grants through the Landfill Communities Fund. This important source of funding has been available since 1997 and has provided such worthy projects with more than £1.4 billion.”

DVDs/CDs July 2017

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Donizeti: Rosmonda d’Inghilterra
Donizetti Opera, Sebastiano Rolli
DYNAMIC 37757

This is a revised edition of the score based on primary sources, of a work which has five substantial solo parts which require technical finesse as well as stamina. The story is loosely based on Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, and his affair with Rosmonda. After what appears to be a fairly conventional approach to the narrative it has a totally unexpected ending. Leonora (Eleanor) stabs Rosmonda to death and the chorus say Oh Dear­ –just that; no final chorus, no lingering death aria. Just Oh Dear and down curtain. It is a real shock even today and must have been outrageous at the time. It may also account for the lack of enthusiasm for the work which, from all other points of view, is finely structured and gives the soloists a lot to do.

The two women – Jessica Pratt as Rosmonda and Eva Mei as Leonora – are splendid, though the two male protagonist are certainly powerful in approach. Sebastiano Rolli conducts from memory and brings spirited accompaniment from the pit. The production is often couched in stygian darkness and the chorus seem as lost as the audience as to what they are supposed to be doing. However, this should not put you off as the work has real merits.

Faure; Music for Cello and Piano
Andreas Brantelid, cello; Bengt Forsberg, piano
BIS 2220

This cd mixes the familiar with the lesser known to good effect. All of the eleven pieces have real worth, and include the Sonata No2 and the original arrangement of the Romance for cello and harmonium. An engaging disc.

Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty; The Nutcracker; Swan Lake
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi
CHANDOS CHSA 5204(5)

These recordings were issued separately but are very welcome as a complete set. Not only are the scores complete in themselves but Neeme Jarvi brings an entirely orchestral approach to them so that we hear concert music rather than ballet scores. While I expect some might find the tempi somewhat difficult to accept in terms of the dance, it makes for very exciting listening.

Busoni: Orchestral works
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi
CHANDOS CHAN 241-57

This is a reissue of recordings made in 2002 and 2005. Though Busoni’s orchestral works are not very familiar this dual set makes a good case for their inclusion in more orchestral programmes, particularly the shorter pieces which would sit well as openers. John Bradbury also makes a good case for the Clarinet Concerto of 1918.

Verdi: Don Carlo
Teatro Regio di Parma, Daniel Oren
DYNAMIC 37776

This recording was made in October 2016, the production directed by Cesare Lievi. It is remarkably straight-forward – not to say traditional – in its use of sets and costumes and will therefore appeal to those who like to simply be able to relax and enjoy the drama as it unfolds, without having to worry about why the cast are doing strange things. It is equally well sung throughout and Daniel Oren in the pit holds his forces together with skill.

Bruckner: Symphony No 3
Staatskapelle Dresden, Christian Thielemann
UNITEL 740808

This series is proving to be very impressive and is maintaining its impact as Christian Thielemann moves back to the Third Symphony. With glowing wind and mastery of long, unfolding passages may I respectfully suggest you listen to this with the volume turned up to the gain the impact you would in the concert hall. This is not a DVD for a portable system!

Mahler: Symphony No9
BR KLASSIK 900151
Beethoven: Symphony No9
BR KLASSIK 900156
Bayerischen Rundfunk, Mariss Jansons

These are both fine recordings and both come from live performances. The Mahler was recorded last October in Gasteig and the Beethoven is a reissue of a performance given in the Vatican in 2007. The Roman acoustic is quite resonant though it does not fudge the sound as much I had suspected it might. The Gasteig performance is alive with detail and Mariss Jansons’ familiar sensitivity to line. Both warmly recommended.

Haydn: Quartets Op 20 4-6
Chiaroscuro Quartet
BIS 2168

The Sun Quartets are among the most challenging to performers if not to listeners – who simply lap up their beauty. The notes give a detailed analysis of this complexity and take us through the deeply introspective nature of much of the writing. This is finely mirrored in the playing of the Chiaroscuro Quartet and make the recording well worth revisiting.

Brahms: Sonatas for cello & piano Opp 38 & 99
Schumann: Funf Stucke im Volkston
Robin Michael, cello; Daniel Tong, piano
RESONUS RES10188

I wish I could feel more enthusiastic about this recording. It is certainly well played and I enjoyed some of the Schumann pieces, but the Brahms seems to me to be worth but a little dull. A pity given the obvious delight the performers have in the scores.

 

All Saints Hastings Organ Concerts 2017

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Concerts this summer on the 1878 Father Willis Organ

All concerts Mondays at 7.30pm

10 July                   David Humphreys, Peterborough Cathedral

17 July                   Peter Wright, Southwark Cathedral

24 July                   Scott Farrell, Rochester Cathedral

31 July                   Matthew Jorysz, Westminster Abbey

7 August              Tim Ravalde, Chichester Cathedral

14 August            Jonathan Allsopp, Westminster Cathedral

21 August            Peter King, Bath Abbey

28 August            Gordon Stewart

Tickets £10 on the door

Refreshments available at all events